PROJECT SUMMARY/ ABSTRACT ? INTERNATIONAL CORE The UNC CFAR International Core is charged with facilitating clinical, epidemiological, and translational HIV-1 research between our CFAR and international field sites at the center of the epidemic. We connect UNC, FHI360, and RTI scientists to critical research populations overseas and connect in-country scientists to collaborations and training opportunities in the North Carolina Research Triangle. The Core provides critical administrative and logistical support services to CFAR members working internationally, with particular attention to junior investigators and faculty who are newly expanding their work into a global setting. Among the most important of these services is the management of international IRB submissions, which is centralized through our core into a dedicated international regulatory affairs unit (RAU). The RAU manages all aspects of research ethics and regulatory issues for all international HIV research activities at UNC. The International core also serves as a coordinating body for HIV-related research training activities at UNC. Our institution has a total of 11 active training grants with major HIV/AIDS components, 8 of which come from NIH. In a new activity proposed for the coming funding cycle, the core will regularly convene the leadership of these training grants to streamline candidate selection, align learner placement, and share key resources. We will also work to connect trainees to appropriate CFAR mentorship and assist them in obtaining research funding. Other key functions of our core include ensuring that our CFAR's international HIV/AIDS research is in line with local priorities in the countries in which we work. This will be done through facilitating participation of local investigators, engaging local scientific advisory committees, supporting dissemination of key CFAR research findings at our field sites, and encouraging south-to-south exchange of research capacity. Since laboratory capacity is so important to research in international settings, our core has created a laboratory quality assurance unit based at our flagship lab site in Malawi. Key personnel from this unit are available to assist other HIV research sites (including those outside our own CFAR) in the development and monitoring of lab QA procedures, deployment of new assays, preparation for monitoring visits, and troubleshooting of lab operational problems. Finally, the International Core promotes external collaboration through active participation in ongoing intra- CFAR activities and through linking our membership with other NIH-sponsored networks, such as ACTG, MTN, IMPAACT, HPTN, HVTN, and CHAVI.